Could it be true?
Every day between now and the election, Tortoise's Alexi Mostrous will examine a claim from the campaign trail. Some will be outlandish, some believable. Some might even be true.
Misinformation isn’t only the publication of false claims. It’s also about making people think that legitimate claims might not be true. Sowing doubt is a favoured tactic from Trump to the Kremlin. In the last few days the Reform party has taken a leaf out of this playbook, after a Channel 4 documentary showed undercover footage of a Reform canvasser making incredibly racist comments. Rather than apologising, Nigel Farage called it a “stitch up” and complained to the Electoral Commission. He said that Andrew Parker, the canvasser, is an actor with an apparent proficiency in undercover filming. Parker confirmed that he’s an actor but said that he volunteered for Reform UK because he believes in its message. There’s no proof that Channel 4 knew about this – let alone paid Parker to “stitch” up the party. The channel has denied it on the record. Yet the tactic has – to an extent – worked. It’s gaining much traction on social media. When I called up the canvasser, he said he was too “grumpy” to talk. He’s promised the truth will come out eventually. Unfortunately, such QAnon-type prophecies will only add to the conspiratorial fire.
